Doomed From the Start
by Flouncealot
Summary: Jareth ponders over the love he could have had but lost. ONESHOT


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters mentioned in the story. I am merely making them commit acts for my own amusement.

**Doomed From the Start**

The land was as black as ebony as the last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon. Birds ceased their chirping and creatures of which you cannot imagine bowed their heads as sleep overtook them. All the goblins had long since passed out from fatigue and a dangerous amount of alcohol coursing through their veins. All the while a lone figure, bathed in candlelight, paced back and forth in front of his bedroom window.

His silhouette appeared menacing to anyone who happened to glance at the castle. His steps were quick and decisive, just like his mind. Cape billowing behind him and anger fueling his actions he created a crystal. The image of the brunette who had shattered his world mere hours before materialized before him. The picture enraged the blonde man and he hurled the innocent ball towards the stone wall. Mismatched eyes glowed as Jareth the Goblin King watched as the delicate object disintegrated in the same manner as his now nonexistent heart.

He glanced around his chambers in disgust. The room was as elegant as it was dark. Black seemed to be the favored colour as it littered the suite like a plague. Tapestries in dark rich colours covered most of the black stone walls. A dark mahogany desk sat in the corner, loose pieces of parchment scattered on its top. Along the far wall stretched an enormous bookcase filled to the brim with volume upon volume of every type of book imaginable. An enormous iron bed took up the space in the center of the chamber, a black velvet comforter draped overtop. Next to the bed was a simple end table with a solitary candle glowing on the floor beside it.

He sneered at the tiny light. It looked so pure and untainted, so unlike himself. The light represented a hope which was now dead to him. He resented it along with everything else in the room. It wasn't good enough. He wasn't good enough. A cry escaped his throat as the anger which had built up inside him finally unleashed itself.

In a mad fury of movements, Jareth let loose a wave of magic. His powers encompassed all his raw emotions and used them against the room he loved so much. His prized possessions which hand been handpicked lovingly once upon a time became nothing more than the garbage collected outside the city walls. The tapestries turned to ash and the wooden furniture became charred and unsightly. The bookcase had had its shelves ripped clean out and tossed to the other end of the chamber. The precious books were now unreadable, either burnt to dust or ripped beyond recognition. The covers on his bed were shredded and the bed itself melted into a horribly disfigured shape. Only the candle remained undisturbed.

The once mighty king observed his surroundings. He remained indifferent to the destruction which he himself had been solely responsible for. It didn't matter. It could all be replaced. Every piece, one way or another, could be restored to its original glory. Except him. He had been changed beyond recognition. The thought of himself at that moment repulsed him. He had gotten worked up over a mere mortal girl. And for what? No childish tantrum would change things. Thinking to himself he resumed his pacing, the clicking of his boots becoming the only sound coming from the recently destroyed suite.

Where had he gone wrong? He had done everything she asked of him and he would have done anything else she requested. Jareth had watched the girl for months, his precious Sarah, who was going through the pain of adjusting to a new family. Her world had come crashing down on her with her father's new marriage and the birth of her half-brother. On top of which she was completely alone aside from her make believe story characters and dog Merlin. Oh, how he wished he could take her away from all the pain and make her feel the love her felt for her.

He thought he had the chance to do just that. When she wished that her brother be taken from her she unknowingly provided him with the perfect opportunity to come to her aid. And Jareth had done just that. He had his goblins abduct the child and remove him from her sight. That was where the problems began. He should have known that there would be complications when she immediately demanded that he return the baby. But no, he had humored her, even gave her an opportunity to win him back. But nothing was good enough. Not for her.

Sarah just didn't understand. This was the adventure she had been waiting for. She had gotten bored with living through characters in her books and was searching for some excitement of her own. Her teenage life was repetitive, lonely, and listless. She had no friends and the only subject she excelled at was drama, a point which had gotten her teased on more than one occasion. She wanted an escape and he had given her one. He would have given her the world. All she had to do was give him her love.

Love. He didn't think she understood the word. Now anyway. Back in the ballroom he would have believed anything. The way she looked at him, the way she touched him. It all seemed like a distant dream from long ago. Jareth would have liked to believe that her actions were of her own free will and not a result of her peach induced haze. She had looked into his eyes, her own uncertain, filled with curiosity. All he had wanted at that moment was for the world to simply melt away and leave the two of them alone to dance to the music forever.

Unfortunately, the moment hadn't lasted. She had pulled away, as though he sickened her. As he watched her, Jareth ran the scene over and over in his mind, wondering where he had gone wrong. His conclusion was bringing her there in the first place. His plan was doomed from the start. Sarah's spirit was too strong and she was too stubborn to listen to reason. He was foolish to think that this child understood love. The second she had demanded that he bring back her brother he should have done what she asked.

Instead, he brought her to the labyrinth, hoping to give her the excitement she had been craving, along with the love he knew she wanted just as badly. He had even tried to win her love one more time. It was an almost hopeless attempt, but he had been desperate. He had offered her her dreams and she turned it down without a second thought.

"You have no power over me" was what she said to him. Those few words had a bigger effect on him than she realized. His world had literally come crashing down around him. He had reordered time in order for their little game to take place. He had almost exhausted his powers and those words had been the final blow. Yes, she went home with her brother, no harm done. But what about him? Did she even think about it? Did she even care?

No, of course she didn't. She had gone home and even celebrated with those insufferable vermin she now called friends. It had been him who had allowed her to become familiar with them in the first place but did he even get credit for that? Of course not. He was nothing more than the villain, the adversary she went up against and courageously defeated.

And now he would be forgotten. Sooner or later he would be known as a mere childhood fantasy. Then he, the Goblin King, would fade into the back of her mind until he was remembered no more. Mentally and physically drained, Jareth slumped against the wall and allowed himself to slide down it.

He loved her, he truly did. And with her obsession for magic and wonder he thought she could come to love him as well. She had read about him and was fascinated, he knew that. He could have been everything she wanted and more. But it was too late. On those final thoughts a breeze came through the window and gently blew the flame out. The room was bathed in darkness and all was quiet.


End file.
